How to Enforce Strong ECC Signature in iOS Apps

Last updated May 19, 2024 by Appdome

Learn to Enforce Strong ECC Signature in iOS apps, in mobile CI/CD with a Data-Driven DevSecOps™ build system.

What is an ECC Signature?

An ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) signature is a digital signature created using elliptic curve cryptography, a type of public key cryptography based on the algebraic structure of elliptic curves over finite fields. ECC signatures provide strong security features with smaller key sizes, making them efficient and suitable for mobile devices. In ECC, a private key is used to generate the signature, while the corresponding public key is used for signature verification. This ensures the integrity and authenticity of the app’s data, confirming that it has not been tampered with and verifying the identity of the sender.

How Do Strong ECC Signatures Protect iOS Apps?

Strong ECC signatures protect iOS apps by significantly enhancing their security through robust authentication mechanisms. During the communication process, the server sends a digital certificate to the app, which is signed by a trusted entity known as a Certificate Authority (CA). This certificate utilizes an ECC signature with a key size of at least 256 bits, functioning as a unique fingerprint. Such a robust signature ensures that any unauthorized alterations made to the certificate by attackers will invalidate the signature, thereby alerting the app to potential security breaches. By rigorously enforcing strong ECC signatures, iOS apps can be assured that they are communicating with legitimate servers, not imposters.

Prerequisites for Using Enforce Strong ECC Signature :

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Enforce Strong ECC Signature , you’ll need:

Enforce Strong ECC Signature on iOS apps using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending iOS Apps that Enforce Strong ECC Signature without an SDK or gateway:

  1. Upload the Mobile App to Appdome.

    1. Upload an app to Appdome’s Mobile App Security Build System

    2. Upload Method: Appdome Console or DEV-API
    3. iOS Formats: .ipa
    4. Enforce Strong ECC Signature Compatible With: Obj-C, Java, Swift, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and more
  2. Build the feature: Enforce Strong ECC Signature .

    1. Building Enforce Strong ECC Signature by using Appdome’s DEV-API:

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature as shown below:
      2. fusion set that contains Enforce Strong ECC Signature

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature
        Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required).

      3. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2 of this article, Building the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature via Appdome Console, to add the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature to this Fusion Set.

      4. Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 2: Fusion Set Detail Summary
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      5. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, App Center, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
        1. Build an API for the app – for instructions, see the tasks under Appdome API Reference Guide
        2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository
    2. Building the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature via Appdome Console

      To build the Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection by using Appdome Console, follow the instructions below.

      1. Where: Inside the Appdome Console, go to Build > Security Tab > Secure Communication section.
      2. How: Check whether is toggled On (enabled), otherwise enable it . The feature Enforce Strong ECC Signature is enabled by default, as shown below. Toggle (turn ON) Enforce Strong ECC Signature , as shown below.
        If needed, Customize the Threat Notification to be displayed to the mobile end-user in a standard OS dialog notification when Appdome Enforces Strong ECC Signature .
        Enforce Strong ECC Signature  option

        Figure 3: Enforce Strong ECC Signature option
        Note: The App Compromise Notification contains an easy to follow default remediation path for the mobile app end user. You can customize this message as required to achieve brand specific support, workflow or other messaging.

      3. When you select the Enforce Strong ECC Signature you'll notice that your Fusion Set you created in step 2.1.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Enforce Strong ECC Signature

        Fusion Set applied Enforce Strong ECC Signature

        Figure 4: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection

      4. Select the Threat-Event™ in-app mobile Threat Defense and Intelligence policy for Enforce Strong ECC Signature :
        1. Threat-Events™ OFF > In-App Defense

          If the Threat-Events™ setting is cleared (not selected). Appdome will detect and defend the user and app by enforcing Enforce Strong ECC Signature .

        2. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Detection

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects the use of a weak certificate signature and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence to the app’s business logic for processing, enforcement, and user notification. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Enforce Strong ECC Signature Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

        3. Threat-Events™ ON > In-App Defense

          When this setting is used, Appdome detects and defends against Strong ECC Signature (same as Appdome Enforce) and passes Appdome’s Threat-Event™ attack intelligence the app’s business logic for processing. For more information on consuming and using Appdome Threat-Events™ in the app, see section Using Threat-Events™ for Enforce Strong ECC Signature Intelligence and Control in Mobile Apps.

      5. Click Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 3).
    Congratulations!  The Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Enforce Strong ECC Signature feature in iOS Apps

    After building Enforce Strong ECC Signature , Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Enforce Strong ECC Signature protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: Enforce Strong ECC Signature  shown in Certificate secure

    Figure 5: Certified Secure™ certificate

    Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that Enforce Strong ECC Signature has been added to each iOS app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Enforce Strong ECC Signature and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app

Using Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature Intelligence and Control in iOS Apps

Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Strong ECC Signature is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature in iOS Apps, use AddObserverForName in Notification Center, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature shown below.

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Strong ECC Signature are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Enforce Strong ECC Signature Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Enforce Strong ECC Signature
Threat-Event Mode
OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging.
ON, IN-APP DETECTION Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce).
ON, IN-APP DEFENSE Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection).
Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check
Visible in ThreatScope™
Developer Parameters for Enforcing Strong ECC Signature Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME SslInvalidMinECCSignature
Threat-Event DATA reasonData
Threat-Event CODE reasonCode
Threat-Event REF 6801
Threat-Event SCORE
currentThreatEventScore Current Threat-Event score
threatEventsScore Total Threat-events score
Threat-Event Context Keys
message Message displayed for the user on event
failSafeEnforce Timed enforcement against the identified threat
externalID The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events
osVersion OS version of the current device
deviceModel Current device model
deviceManufacturer The manufacturer of the current device
fusedAppToken The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app
kernelInfo Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine.
deviceID Current device ID
reasonCode Reason code of the occurred event
buildDate Appdome fusion date of the current application
devicePlatform OS name of the current device
updatedOSVersion Is the OS version up to date
timeZone Time zone
deviceFaceDown Is the device face down
locationLong Location longitude conditioned by location permission
locationLat Location latitude conditioned by location permission
locationState Location state conditioned by location permission
wifiSsid Wifi SSID
wifiSsidPermissionStatus Wifi SSID permission status
host The host that failed minimum requirement ECC signature validation
DeveventDetailedErrorMessage Error message
extendedMessageText Extended message
certificateCN Certificate common name
certificateSHA1 Certificate SHA1

With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), iOS developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in iOS applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when Strong ECC Signature is detected.


The following is a code sample for native iOS apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Enforce Strong ECC Signature :


Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.



Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured iOS Apps by using Enforce Strong ECC Signature . There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.

Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with Enforce Strong ECC Signature

After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:

Related Articles:

How Do I Learn More?

If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.

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